USER GUIDE 22 PAUPERS’ RECORDS

1 Blandford House Blandford Square Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4JA Tel: (0191) 2326789 ext 22248 Email: user GUIDE 22 paupers RECORDS Introduction This user GUIDE details sources relating to the poor, including Poor Law, Guardians and Overseers RECORDS .

2 See also user Guides 7 (Guilds), 9 (Medicine) and 14 (Law and Order) for related material. Until 1597 there was no statutory poor relief, although parishes and religious houses dispensed alms and some ran hospitals where paupers could gain relief. Following the Poor Law Act of 1597, parishes first appointed Overseers of the Poor, but it was the Poor Law Act of 1601 which formally constituted what became known as the Old Poor Law . According to this second piece of legislation, parishes were responsible for levying a rate with which to dispense outdoor relief to their poor.

3 Growing costs led to the Settlement Act 1662 which restricted relief to those paupers who could prove settlement in a particular parish. The continued spiraling cost of administering the poor law eventually led to the Poor Law (Amendment) Act 1834, also known as the New Poor Law . This created unions of parishes, each with a board of guardians. The unions provided both outdoor and more notably indoor relief to the poor, the latter via the workhouse system. Unions and Guardians were abolished by the Local Government Act 1929 and their functions transferred to public assistance authorities run by county boroughs and county councils.

4 These authorities were short-lived, however, and the poor laws were finally repealed in 1948. Note that the Old Poor Law continued to operate until this date as well as the New Poor Law; settlement cases can be found latterly in Petty Sessions RECORDS . This user GUIDE generally takes the reforms of 1948 as its end date, although later RECORDS are outlined in the case of some collections to indicate continuity. Some RECORDS may have restrictions on access. In addition, it may not be possible to produce unlisted collections for consultation in the Searchroom. Please ask a member of staff for more details.

5 Contents: A. Regional sources B. Gateshead C. Newcastle D. North Tyneside E. South Tyneside F. Sunderland Note: sections B to F are divided under the following sub-headings: Parishes and Townships; Guardians / Public Assistance; Charities. A. REGIONAL SOURCES Asylum for Female Penitents for Northumberland and Durham, Newcastle and Gateshead financial / administrative RECORDS 1841-1919 [586] Northern Counties Joint Poor Law Committee minutes 1912-1930 [227/79-93] Northern Poor Law Unions conference reports etc 1918-1927 poor law RECORDS 1890-1927 [604/902-909] Petty Sessions courts NB overseers and unions were accountable to the justices.

6 Registers include poor law cases to 1948 [MG. - see user GUIDE 14] Quarter Sessions courts: NB poor law cases were occasionally referred to quarter sessions, although this decreases with the formalisation of petty sessions courts in the mid 19th century [QS. - see user GUIDE 14] Children North East RECORDS , incl. homes 1888-1989 [ ] 2B. GATESHEAD Parishes and Townships Birtley St John / civil parish apprenticeship indentures 1886-1895 overseers accounts 1797-1818 poor rates 1848 valuations 1833-1837 vestry meetings 1818-1936 [ , 20-23] Chopwell township overseers meetings 1856-1927 overseers accounts 1826-1849 [ , DX1048/1/1-2]

7 Gateshead St Mary / civil parish examinations / removal orders c1843-1848 High Ward out-relief book 1830 Low Ward payment accounts 1827-1828 opinions re poor rate assessment overseers accounts 1910-1929 overseers meetings 1869-1901, 1925-1927 poor rate 1860 valuation list c1826-1829 [3419/CXXIII (unlisted); ; T371/10-12; T440 (unlisted)] Lamesley St Andrew / civil parish apprenticeship indenture 1761,1834 bastardy bonds 1771-1819 payments to paupers 1821-1831 permission to pay relief 1796 poor accounts 1814-1815, 1830 poor distributions 1851-1864 vestry meetings 1833-1886 [819; MF440-441, MF447] Ryton civil parish correspondence re settlement appeal 1795 overseers meetings 1914-1927 [ ; T214/173] Ryton Urban District poor rates 1914-1921 unpaid rate statements 1911-1925 [ ] 3 Whickham St Mary / civil parish overseers accounts 1725-1837, 1849-1927 overseers meetings 1895-1904 poor rates 1677-1926 (incomplete) vestry meetings 1818-1871 [ ; T213/322-331, 412-488.]

8 MF901-903] Whickham Urban District poor rates 1875-1926 relieving officer s accounts 1881-1911 vaccination registers 1872-1912 [T213/169-185, 278-331] Winlaton township poor rates 1853, 1911-1927 valuations 1869-1926 [T214/112-117, 132-133] Guardians / Public Assistance Gateshead Borough Council public assistance minutes 1929-1974 slum clearance minutes 1930-1932 [ ; ] Gateshead Union guardians minutes 1836-1930 correspondence etc 1837-1891 children placed in homes 1906-1949 [T371] Gateshead Union Workhouse (later High Teams Institution and Bensham General Hospital) admissions and other RECORDS 1921-1948 papers re workhouse buildings 1885-1891 plans of Poor Law Institution 1922 [ ; ; T371; 1266/27] Shotley Bridge (Medomsley) Cottage Homes RECORDS at Durham record Office Charities Gateshead Dorcas Society minutes 1916-1936 [CHX32] Guilds charity RECORDS (incl.)

9 Poor relief) [GU.; see user GUIDE 7] 4 King James Hospital RECORDS , incl. membership 1800-1967 [ ] Pickering Trust minutes 1888-1948 [CHX33] Robert Spence Pensioners Charity RECORDS 1880-1938 [CHX26] Thomas Powell s Almshouse Charity secretary s correspondence 1900-1913 [CHX34] Winlaton Christmas Charity minutes and subscriptions 1863-1931 [CHX27] C. NEWCASTLE Parishes and Townships Benwell township / parish overseers accounts 1868-1913 overseers meetings 1913-1914 poor rates 1870-1900 valuation lists 1884, 1888 vestry meetings 1851-1908 [183/566-575; MF398] Byker township / parish overseers accounts 1796-1805 1895-1907 poor rates 1731-1891 valuation lists 1880-1901 vestry meetings 1820-1913 [183/576-606; 593/65.]

10 MF392-395] Coxlodge township poor rates 1880-1901 [ ] East Denton civil parish overseers and assistants 1908-1920 poor rate collection accounts 1917-1926 vestry meetings 1870-1911 [ ] Elswick township / parish overseers meetings 1897-1914 poor rates 1850-1880, 1906 vestry meetings 1847-1872 [183/607-617, 850-853; MF395-397] 5 Fawdon township poor rates 1891-1896 [ ] Gosforth Urban District poor rates 1880-1928 relief minutes 1914 [ , 64-65] Heaton township / parish poor rates 1860-1890 valuation list 1895 vestry meetings 1890-1914 [183/618-622; MF398] Jesmond township / parish overseers accounts 1821-1836 poor rates 1851-1900 vestry meetings 1867-1914 [183/623-633] Newcastle All Saints parish agreement for poor house at Manors 1735 applications for relief 1836 apprenticeship register 1790-1844 bastardy bonds 1783-1827 charity school RECORDS 1807-1909 examination books 1820-1837 guardians meetings 1840-1848 overseers accounts 1778-1914 Pandon Ward overseers accounts 1797-1808 poor house accounts (incl.)